The following are the baseball events of the year 1896 throughout the world.  

Champions [link]

• Temple Cup: Baltimore Orioles defeated Cleveland Spiders, 4 games to 0
• National League: Baltimore Orioles

Statistical leaders [link]

• Batting: Jesse Burkett .410
• Home Runs: Ed Delahanty & Bill Joyce 13
• Wins: Kid Nichols 30
• ERA: Billy Rhines 2.46

National League final standings [link]

Events [link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• May 9
  • Shortstop Herman Long hits for the cycle to give the Boston Beaneaters a 17–5 victory over the Louisville Colonels.
  • The Washington Senators defeats the Pittsburgh pirates, 14–9, in a beanball battle. Senators pitcher Win Mercer hits three Pittsburgh batters while Pirate Pink Hawley plunks three Washington batters in a disastrous 11-run seventh inning, tying a mark he set on July 4, 1894. Hawley retires in 1900 after only nine seasons of play with a still-standing National League record of 195 hit batters. All told, eight batters are plunked in the contest, a National League-record five by Hawley. The five Washington batters hit by pitches ties the NL mark and won't be matched till July 2, 1969.
  • Hughie Jennings of the Baltimore Orioles knocks down Cincinnati Reds third baseman Charlie Irwin before he can catch Bid McPhee's throw. Jennings scores afterward to give the Orioles a controversial 6–5, 10-inning win over Cincinnati. Umpire Bob Emslie is escorted out of the ballpark by Cincinnati police.

• May 30 - Washington Senators third baseman Bill Joyce hits for the cycle in an 8–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• July 13 - Philadelphia Phillies left-fielder Ed Delahanty becomes the second Major Leaguer to hit four home runs in a game, two of them being inside-the-park home runs. It wasn't enough, as the Phillies lose to the Chicago Colts, 9-8. He is the only member of the "four home runs in a game" club to have an inside-the-park home run as part of his feat and he is the first player to do so in a losing effort.

Births [link]

January [link]

• January 17 - Harry Hanson
• January 18 - Bill McGowan
• January 18 - Babe Twombly
• January 19 - Ollie Hanson
• January 22 - Frank Fahey
• January 23 - Billy Mullen
• January 24 - Jim Lindsey
• January 25 - Ray Schmandt
• January 27 - Milt Gaston
• January 31 - Pinky Hargrave
• January 31 - Charlie Robertson

February [link]

• February   3 - Chicken Hawks
• February   4 - Andy Woehr
• February 11 - Charles Johnston
• February 17 - Frank Emmer
• February 20 - Muddy Ruel
• February 21 - Turkey Gross
• February 21 - Dick McCabe
• February 22 - Ferdie Moore
• February 26 - Rip Collins
• February 27 - Cy Perkins
• February 27 - Will Koenigsmark
• February 28 - Homer Ezzell
• February 29 - Ralph Miller
• February 29 - Roy Parker

March [link]

• March   3 - Bert Griffith
• March   5 - Bernie Hungling
• March   8 - Lefty Clarke
• March   9 - Rube Yarrison
• March 16 - Arlas Taylor
• March 22 - Chick Holmes

April [link]

• April 15 - Dutch Distel
• April 18 - Rip Conway
• April 20 - Harland Rowe
• April 23 - Elam Vangilder
• April 24 - Pug Griffin
• April 24 - Ken Penner
• April 25 - Fred Haney
• April 25 - Marty Shay
• April 27 - Rogers Hornsby
• April 29 - Johnnie Heving

May [link]

• May   1 - Heinie Meine
• May   2 - Bill Piercy
• May   3 - Bob Hasty
• May   7 - Tom Zachary
• May 16 - Red Ostergard
• May 18 - George Edmondson
• May 19 - Merito Acosta
• May 19 - Bud Culloton
• May 24 - Leo Mangum
• May 28 - Warren Giles
• May 31 - Socks Seibold

June [link]

• June   1 - Joel Newkirk
• June   1 - Johnny Mostil
• June   5 - Wade Lefler
• June   5 - Ray Richmond
• June 11 - Charlie Hollocher
• June 18 - Newt Halliday
• June 25 - Earl Howard

July [link]

• July   1 - Bert Cole
• July   3 - Curt Walker
• July   5 - Buck Freeman
• July   5 - Hank Thormahlen
• July   7 - John Jenkins
• July   8 - Roy Crumpler
• July   9 - Carl Holling
• July 10 - Bill Schindler
• July 19 - Joe Boley
• July 19 - Bob Meusel
• July 20 - Ollie Fuhrman
• July 20 - Mutt Wilson
• July 27 - Rube Walberg
• July 31 - Chick Sorrells

August [link]

• August   4 - Chick Galloway
• August   4 - Cliff Lee
• August   6 - Ray Blades
• August 15 - Ben Rochefort
• August 15 - Bill Sherdel
• August 17 - Doug McWeeny
• August 23 - Cedric Durst
• August 24 - Bevo LeBourveau
• August 28 - Aaron Ward

September [link]

• September   2 - Paul Johnson
• September   2 - Harry Shriver
• September   5 - Gil Gallagher
• September   6 - Mack Eggleston
• September   6 - Frank McCrea
• September   6 - Paul Zahniser
• September   8 - Val Picinich
• September   8 - Johnny Schulte
• September 10 - Sammy Hale
• September 13 - Pat Collins
• September 13 - Roy Wilson
• September 13 - Art Stokes
• September 21 - Herschel Bennett
• September 24 - Kewpie Pennington

October [link]

• October   2 - Sid Womack
• October   5 - Charlie Pechous
• October   5 - Danny Silva
• October   6 - Harry Heitmann
• October   8 - Tim Murchison
• October 13 - Claude Davidson
• October 13 - Charlie See
• October 14 - Oscar Charleston
• October 15 - Mule Watson
• October 16 - John Brock
• October 19 - Bob O'Farrell
• October 20 - Wid Matthews
• October 22 - Sam Bohne
• October 27 - Frank Okrie
• October 28 - Roxy Snipes
• October 30 - Clyde Manion
• October 31 - Leo Dickerman

November [link]

• November   2 - Chick Maynard
• November   8 - Bucky Harris
• November 10 - Jimmy Dykes
• November 14 - Red Sheridan
• November 15 - Babe Ellison
• November 16 - Ivy Griffin
• November 17 - Sam Post
• November 18 - Bill Hughes
• November 20 - Larry Duff
• November 22 - Bill Hollahan
• November 23 - Dick Reichle
• November 27 - John Singleton
• November 29 - Joe DeBerry

December [link]

• December   2 - Gene Bedford
• December   2 - Mike Wilson
• December   4 - Allen Conkwright
• December   6 - Bob Larmore
• December   6 - Frank Luce
• December 10 - Spoke Emery
• December 11 - Johnny Walker
• December 13 - Denny Williams
• December 14 - Charlie Hargreaves
• December 17 - Jim Mattox
• December 26 - Herman Pillette

Deaths [link]

This section requires expansion.

• January   4 - Tom Foley, 49, outfielder.

• January 22 - George Heubel, 47, outfielder for two seasons in the National Association, 1871-1872, and one in the National League, 1876.

• March 16 - Kid Madden, 28, pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds, and Baltimore Orioles from 1887 to 1891.

• May   3 - George McVey, 30, first baseman/catcher.

• July 23 - Jack Beach, 34, outfielder.

• August   5 - Ben Stephens, 28, pitcher.

• August 29 - Curt Welch, 34, center fielder in the American Association who led league in doubles with 1889 Athletics and scored 100 runs five times.

• September 20 - Ed Crane, 34, pitcher/outfielder for nine seasons, most prominently for the New York Giants.

• September 23 - John Crowley, 34, catcher for the 1884 Philadelphia Quakers.

• September 26 - John Curran, 44, appeared in three games for the 1876 Philadelphia Athletics.

• November 10 - Jim Ritz, 22, third baseman.

• December 30 - Dave Birdsall, 58, outfielder.